ON THE HOLY MARTYRS OF NICOMEDIA: LUCIUS THE BISHOP, FAUSTA, SILVIUS, INGENUUS OR INGENUA, AND JANUARIUS.
CommentarySt. Lucius, Bishop, Martyr at Nicomedia.
St. Fausta, Martyr at Nicomedia.
St. Silvius, Martyr at Nicomedia.
St. Ingenuus, or Ingenua, Martyr at Nicomedia.
St. Januarius, Martyr at Nicomedia.
[1] We continue to present nearly every day some Martyrs who suffered for the faith of Christ at Nicomedia in Bithynia, then the seat of the Emperors. The leader and standard-bearer of these, a Bishop perhaps brought from elsewhere, was named Lucius, who is celebrated on this day in many distinguished Martyrologies not yet published in print. Among these stand out those preserved at Rome in the Vatican and in the foremost church of the world dedicated to St. Peter the Apostle, in the most renowned library of Cardinal Barberini, and among the Fathers of the Oratory — which under the name of St. Cyriacus is customarily cited and praised by Cardinal Baronius — Lucius the Bishop, recorded by many and outside the City in the principal monasteries: at Monte Cassino, which is written in Lombard script, at St. Maximin's in Trier, St. Martin's in Tournai, at Les-Lièges, and others. To these is added Notker, printed together with the Cologne MS. of St. Mary ad Gradus: in which these words are found almost everywhere: "At Nicomedia, the birthday of St. Lucius, Bishop and Martyr."
[2] His companions in the Martyrology of St. Jerome The Martyrology of St. Jerome, printed at Paris, thus begins this day: "On the Ides of March. In Cappadocia, of St. Longinus the Martyr. In Cappadocia (correct: Nicomedia), of Lucius, Bishop and Martyr, Fausta, Silvius, Ingenua, Januarius." This error, indicated, is corrected in the MS. Martyrology of Lucca of the same St. Jerome, in these words: "At Nicomedia, of Lucius, Bishop and Martyr, Fausta, Silvius, Ingenua." In the Blumian transcript it reads "Lucinus": the rest is the same. In our Antwerp MS. of the same St. Jerome, the entry reads: "At Nicomedia, of Lucius the Bishop, Silvius, Paul, Petrinus, Ingenuus." In the MS. of Reichenau, which we observe was excerpted from a similar Martyrology, the order
is inverted, which when restored should be read thus: "At Nicomedia, of Lucius the Bishop, Silvius, Paul, Petronius." The last two we send on to the following class of Carthaginian Martyrs. If, however, anyone should wish to add them to these as well, and especially Paul, because his name is repeated in the first Martyrology, we do not wish to oppose contentiously. In the Paris MS. of Labbé, Lucius and Fausta are listed; some in other Martyrologies but the name Faustus is written in the MS. of St. Ulrich at Augsburg. Hermann Greven in the Supplement to Usuard has: "Of Lucius the Bishop. Likewise of St. Fausta." Silvius is also noted in the MS. Ado of Queen Christina of Sweden. Finally, in the MS. of Tamlacht, memorial is made of Lucius the Martyr, Silvius, Ingenua, and others about whom we treat separately or among the Passed Over. We found in the Vallicellian library of the Fathers of the Congregation of the Oratory at Rome a Calendar prefixed to an ancient MS. codex of the works of St. Isidore of Seville, in which was read for this day: "At Nicomedia, of St. Julian." Whether substituted for another or perhaps inserted from another day, we are uncertain. This at least we wished to indicate, so as not to defraud the Saint of his honor. Should Julian be added? Lucius the Bishop and Martyr has been transferred to the preceding day in the Aachen MS.